Shower tray - advice on selection

[Lobster]

Hi I need to replace my bathroom shower tray; having removed the old one (using a sledgehammer once I'd realised how heavy the damned thing was!) I'm a bit aghast at the thought of lugging a new stone resin tray up there and fitting it. The old tray, installed into an alcove by a previous incumbent, was 760mm square and the flawed cubicle design incorporated flat tiled areas at the ends which leaked badly; hence the new one will avoid flat areas by using a longer tray (900x760 mm) which will fit snugly within the cubicle. But it will be even heavier than the original.

I always thought the design was odd, but having appreciated how heavy these trays are I'm thinking maybe they deliberately went for a lighter, square model.

Has anyone got any tips please?! Is there a realistic alternative to stone resin? I've seen some trays which are only about 3" deep - are these do-able? Available in stone resin? I know I could pad out the alcove side so a square tray would fit snugly, but obviously given the extra space I'd much rather use it than lose it.

The alcove location means that the tray will be enclosed on three sides, so quite apart from hauling the beast upstairs, physically bedding it in accurately will be really tough I think....

Thanks! David

[Dave Plowman]

Mine's fibreglass - weighed near enough nothing.

[Richard]

I managed to "walk" my stone resin tray upstairs one step at a time. I did it on my own very carefully and slowly because it was very heavy indeed. The hardest part was getting it out of the boot of my car. I thought for a few seconds that I might have to queue up at the surgery for some medical support but all was well ! Advise getting in in a strong assistant ( rugby forward) to help with the heavy part of the exercise.

My best bit of advice is to get a tray with a moulded in upstand on all four sides. You will have to do a some research and shop around a bit. They are a bit more expensive than the normal plain trays but are so much better and leakproof that it is well worthwhile. The idea it to chase it into the surrounding walls so that the tiling or other vertical surface overlaps the upstand and stops a few mm. above the tray. This method is so effective that, providing you have got the correct clearances, it is not necessary to seal the tray to the vertical surfaces although you can follow the belt and braces principle.

Best of luck . Keep you back straight and lift using you legs or as your ski instructor said " bend zee knees"

As for plastic shower trays-----Bah Humbug --- storing up trouble unless they are VERY solidly bedded.

Richard.

[Richard]

Sorry, I forgot to mention that the tray I eventually found had four adjustable legs which made the positioning and levelling a doddle. I only had to remove and retile the bottom course of tiles to complete the job. The positioning could be done with such accuracy that the original shower surround fixing holes could be used again.

Richard.

[Lobster]

I'm sure! - glad to hear it. I was aware there are shower-trays made from materials other than stone resin; however most folks on this ng seem to reckon that stone resin is the only way forward, so by "realistic alternative" I was really asking if lightweight trays were any good, whether they all flex/bend/crack/leak etc... I'm sure yours must be working fine or you wouldn't have responded - do you have any tips on which models to go for, how to achieve a trouble-free installation etc?

Thanks David

[Lobster]

Having decided that a new stone resin tray was really the only option, I decided to take the plunge and buy one anyway. That's when I discovered that my old shower tray, which I thought was what stone resin was, wasn't. Doh! It must have been ceramic or something; whatever, it must have weighed twice as much as the new stone resin one. I may not be built like Mr Universe but I should be able to shift this one methinks!

David